LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Several health officials have stressed that we are now at the point of our vaccine rollout that we need to meet people where they are, especially in minority communities.
Regularly the Arkansas Department of Health meets with different minority groups to discuss how they can do exactly that: meet the members of their community where they are.
José Aguilar, Deputy Consul for the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock, said they're seeing numbers rise because of this outreach.
"It's very important for us because we need to ensure really that people are healthy," he said.
When the vaccine first rolled out, Aguilar said it was difficult to reach out to people in his community for two main reasons.
"Misinformation and nervousness are common problems in this," he said.
As the Deputy Consul for the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock, Aguilar has been one of many meetings regularly with the department of health and other stakeholders to try to bridge that gap.
He said these meetings started last year and they first focused on COVID-19 cases, then testing, and now vaccinations.
"We need to reinforce the good news and the quality information for them, so they don't have any kind of hesitation," Aguilar said.
Since partnering with the department of health, they have hosted seven vaccine clinics and offered more than 6,000 vaccines, according to Aguilar.
According to the health department's website, in March, about 4% of the state's shots had gone to the Hispanic population and nearly two months later that number is up to 5.77%.
"We are crossing our fingers that the number can be even higher and that the demand is even higher," Aguilar said.
He said demand dropped after the Johnson & Johnson pause because of the convenience of the one-dose shot.
Many in the Hispanic community not wanting to take off work two different times, according to Aguilar.
Now that demand is back up though, he said, since eligibility opened for ages 12 to 15.
Aguilar said both parents and kids are very eager.
"People who were a little hesitant, now know that there is nothing really to fear, so they feel motivated and encouraged," he said.
The consulate and the health department will be hosting a vaccine clinic at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on Saturday, May 22 starting at 9 a.m.
If you can't make that one, there will be another one on Saturday, June 5 starting at 3 p.m. at 47th St. Baptist Church in North Little Rock.